May 4, 2011
Republicans Erb, Iosue, Painter win city council primary By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek
Lisa King, a peer professional at Alton Darby PreSchool and a parent. hangs her head as Hilliard City Schools Superintendent Dale McVey informs those gathered at the administration office annex Tuesday night that Issue 7, the school levy had failed.
Issue 7: Voters reject Hilliard school levy By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Hilliard City School District officials said they were disappointed after Issue 7, a 6.9-mill operating levy, was defeated in the May 3 election. The final unofficial vote was 8,181 (56 percent) against the levy to 6,223 (44 percent) in favor, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections. “We’re not going to be successful,” Superintendent Dale McVey told levy supporters and school ad-
ministration at 9 p.m. May 3. “This Bobbi Mueller, co-chair of the was about choice at the end of the pro-levy political action commitday. Tomorrow, we begin tee Community Partnership the painstaking process for Education, said, of implementing “I’m very disappointnearly $4 million in ed for the kids of our community. We cuts that will impact can’t control the how we serve kids. There’s no denying economy, the price it’s disappointing.” of gas.” McVey said he was School board president Doug Maggied said also disappointed in the the economy didn’t help, but low turnout, but stressed the district would continue to give qual- despite the results, the district would ity education to the nearly 16,000 keep moving forward. students in the district. Passage of the levy would have
cost homeowners an additional $211.32 a year in property taxes for each $100,000 of home value. The levy defeat means that the district will have to make nearly $4 million in cuts — including eliminating 51.5 positions and reducing 247 positions — before the next school year to balance its budget, as required by law. According to district information, Hilliard City Schools will lose $14.1 million in school funding over the next two school years, based upon
Political newcomers Nathan Painter and Joe Erb joined incumbent Al Iosue as the survivors of the May 3 Hilliard City Council Republican primary election. The final unofficial results, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections, were Painter, 1,820; Erb, 1,749; Iosue, 1,573; Bill Uttley 1,448; Cornell Robertson, 1,351. Erb, Painter and Robertson were seeking their first term on council; Iosue and Uttley were incumbents seeking reelection. Painter, 33, is an attorney and president of Nathan D. Painter, LLC. Painter has lived in Hilliard for seven years (10 in the school district), has degrees in English and an MBA from OSU, and a law degree from Capital University. He is married and the couple’s first child is due in July. “I believe that I can bring new insight and perspective to the city and help position this city to become a regional leader and a magnet for new businesses,” Painter said. “Further, I want to ensure that in these tough economic times that the level of city services we all expect is maintained and made more efficient without having to resort to tax increases.” Painter, who currently serves on the Board of Zoning Appeals, is a former magistrate for Hilliard Mayor’s Court and Franklin County assistant prosecuting attorney who worked on bringing the Hilliard Farm
See LEVY, page A2
Nathan Painter
Joseph Erb
Albert Iosue
William Uttley
Cornell
See PAINTER, page A2 Robertson
Hilliard population American Legion post tops 28,000 mark Sunrise Academy backs out of deal By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The population of Hilliard has increased by 4,205 people in the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau In 2010, the city’s population was 28,435 compared to 24,230 in 2000. “That’s less than 2 percent (of growth) a year,” Mayor Don Schonhardt said. “That seems reasonable to me. I think our policies concentrated on commercial development versus residential growth had some impact.
“Clearly, the economy and the whole housing debacle also played a role in reducing the of Don Schonhardt amount housing starts,” he said. “I think it was a combination of a lot of different factors that came into play, but I do believe the policies we established back in 2004 contributed to what I would consider a reasonable
By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The Sunrise Academy will not be moving into the American Legion Memorial Post 614 at 3898 Lattimer St. after all. “What happened is, we were in the process of doing a feasibility study, and it came back and said it does not meet our future goals,” said Sunrise Academy school director Leah Mohiuddin. “We really can’t expand the way we want to in that property. So that’s why we did not go through with it.” The sale of the building was never finalized, Mohiuddin said. “That was why we were waiting on the
“
“We were very excited about it (the building), but once we got that report back, it’s like, man, it’s not enough room for us for the future. It would accommodate us probably now, but the next year or even the following year, there’s just no way.
LEAH MOHIUDDIN — Sunrise Academy school director
feasibility study,” she said. “We’re just growing so rapidly that we have to look five to 10 years down the road, and it’s just not going to be able to help us out.” Mohiuddin said the academy at 5657 Scioto-Darby Road currently has 416 stu-
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dents and can accommodate 520 students before outgrowing the building. There are more than 200 children on a waiting list to attend the school. The academy thought See SUNRISE ACADEMY, page A7
See HILLIARD, page A7
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swim smart. Lives Lost Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional deaths in children under 14 years old. • Drowning can be a silent event with no warning. Non-swimmers or exhausted swimmers are unable to call for help • Children can drown in as little as one inch of water. Any amount of water that covers a child’s mouth and nose can be deadly. • Most toddler drownings occur when in the care of one or both parents and the caregiver is distracted. • Most toddlers who drown were missing from sight for five minutes or less. • Children between 1 and 4 years old are most likely to drown in hot tubs, spas or swimming pools. • Nineteen percent of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present.
Have you enrolled your child in a learn to swim program?
A Public service message sponsored by: City of Hilliard Recreation & Parks Department 614-876-5200 : hilliardohio.gov Hilliard / Ray Patch Family YMCA 614-334-9622 : ymcacolumbus.org/hilliard Aquatic Adventures Ohio 614-545-3700 : aaoswim.com
swim smart. save lives. PARTY! Sunday, May 29, 2011 • 3:00-5:00 p.m. Hilliard Family Aquatic Center • Live entertainment by Swings the Thing – sttbignband.com • Prizes, swimming, music and fun!
save lives.